1. Field
The invention relates to a capsule and methods of fabricating and using the capsule. The capsule is designed to fit within a nuclear reactor's neutron flux so that a material within the capsule may be irradiated in the reactor's core. The capsule is further designed to be used straight from the neutron flux source and used as an elution column to remove ions from within the capsule that were generated by the irradiation decay process.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technetium-99m (m is metastable) is a radionuclide used in nuclear medical diagnostic imaging. Technetium-99m is injected into a patient which, when used with certain equipment, is used to image the patient's internal organs. However, technetium-99m has a halflife of only six (6) hours, therefore, readily available sources of technetium-99m are desired.
A method for obtaining technetium-99m uses a minimum of a two-step process. First, titanium molybdate is placed in a capsule, which is then irradiated in a nuclear reactor. Molybdenum-98 within the titanium molybdate absorbs a neutron during the irradiation process and becomes molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). Mo-99 is unstable and decays with a 66-hour half-life to technetium-99m (m is metastable). After the irradiation step, the irradiated titanium molybdate is removed from the capsule and placed in a column for elution. Subsequently, saline is passed through the irradiated titanium molybdate to remove the technetium-99m ions from the irradiated titanium molybdate.